68.A. at least B. no longer
C. at the most D. no
more
( 二十三
)
It wasn’t just another computer.
It was a marvelous(神奇的)machine,
a whole room full of electronics that controlled all of its own devices, doors,
locks, lights, and air conditioning. Jules was its creator and chief
programmer. He taught it to play chess and programmed it so that it could never
lose. He programmed its huge memory bank with millions of useful items and
facts. It was surely the most intelligent computer in the world.
When it was about
a year old, the computer remained Jules many times of facts he had long
forgotten. It constantly corrected him on difficult problems. The computer got
bored and recognized that it needed better input.
One day the computer flashed a
light,”
Give me a better programmer.” Suddenly, every other function of the computer
turned itself off. Jules could not correct the problem. The computer just
flashed, ”Give me a better programmer! ”over and over again.
Of course he was discouraged and
disappointed, but he also felt hurt and insulted (侮辱的). His own creation was rejecting him as an
inferior intellect(智力低下).Jules
decided to go home to rest. He felt this message: ”Recover from this
malfunction (故障) or
I’ll
destroy you”.
When Jules returned the next day, the
light was still flashing, “Give me a better programmer.” He tried a simple
command: ”Add four plus four. ”The computer didn’t answer. Angry and
disappointed, he decided to call the demolition crew. The phone was dead. Jules
reached for the emergency(紧急)switch.
It didn’t
work.
Now Jules began to get frightened so he
decided to go to get the crew himself. He moved towards the door. The lights
went out. Jules was furious( 狂怒)and
he shouted at the computer. ”That won’t work. I know every inch
of this room by heart.” He made his way to the door and got even angrier.
It was locked. ’Open the door! ”he screamed, but the
computer did nothing. In the dark room Jules could only see, ”Give me a better
programmer…Give me a better programmer …”
All was dark and quiet. Jules
realised that the computer shut off the air supply. He was slowly suffocating
as it got more difficult to breaths. Then Jules remembered the power supply
pipe. It ran through the wall to the outside. He crawled to it under the main
console(控制台).With
his shoe, he hammered out the SOS signal…The next morning some
telephone linemen heard it. They called the police and fire department. The
computer even interfered(干涉)with
their rescue operations. It sent a high voltage(伏特数)electrical charge through
the door.
They rescued Jules just in the nick(关键时刻)of
time, He was revived(苏醒)
with oxygen from a respirator(人工呼吸器).
His physical state recovered better than his mental state. In his mind he knew
that the machine had won.